Every spot in Politic’s “Blew By You” edit is either a jagged piece of cement, a crumbling Philly step, or shard of slanted metal that was welded 60+ years ago. Includes an incredible ender part from Japhey Dow. Still think about his three-level Heirloom ender often. Also: Ross Norman!
Skateism has a heavy but important interview with Brandon Turner about shedding the stigma of dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Though it’s far from the most #trending skate spot these days, a plan for the renovation and expansion of Union Square was unveiled last week. Just give us a couple République-style planters in the back, don’t kick us out of them, and the city can keep the next two skateparks they were gonna build. Thanks!
Good vibes in this one: “Vlog #1” via Josh Paynter, featuring all winter footy around the city. Footage can never do justice to that backside noseblunt at the L.I.C. D.I.Y. — that one was wild. Bed frame and subway clips are a hoot too :)
Jersey Dave’s part from Stop Fakin’ 3 + cameos from Freddy, Quim etc. is online.
“I guess it’s kind of like, for example, a guy builds his dream house and then he goes off and has a cabin in the woods elsewhere. You know, a lake house. When you can have that, obviously that’s a privilege. You don’t always want to be at the one place, and it’s overrun with children and remote control cars and rules.” Village Psychic with a piece on the rules of contributing to and skating D.I.Y. spots.
We’d mark this as non-skate-related reading, but everyone knows it is just as skate as anything else on the list ;) NY Maghas the complete history on the rise of halal carts in New York. “Halal carts cross barriers. Cheap food triumphs over bad politics.”
The best montage series going: Some forward-thinking front 5050 back 180s, #interesting Chinatown Manual Pad decisions, great cameos, and Tom Knox entering the third dimension of skating the knobbed Verizon Banks in the New York edition of Isle and co’s “Atlantic Drift” series.
The best interview series going:Josh Kalis x Bobshirt goes on for nearly an hour and there’s never a dull moment. Shout out to doing varial heels out of spite.
“And you’ll get stabbed if you break the hunger strike?” “Oh yeah.” Getting locked up was a big topic on the skate interview circuit this past week. The Bunt’s latest is with Brandon Turner. Still waiting on that Muska and/or Shorty’s Epicly Later’d.
A few minutes of throwaway footage from the Bluecouch crew, and a reminder of the enduring legacy held by that “bank” to “ledge” on 16th Street as the worst spot in New York that people still continue to skate. Someone said they got a ticket there one time and that’s the most “lol at your life” story ever ;) Forget who it was though.
Do not recall the last time there was footage of it, but Paine Webber is fenced off for construction. Can’t tell if they’re getting rid of the benches just yet. Would be pretty tragic if they do, considering it’s probably the last remaining iconic midtown spot to not undergo any major renovation or knobbing.
QS Sports Desk: In light of the Rudy Gay Spurs news, we’re reinstating the Sports Desk during the offseason to point you in the direction of the greatest basketball video of all time. Also, Twitter after the T.H.J. Knicks signing wassotherapeutic.
Quote of the Week: “I saw the coolest dog today. Sometimes that’s all you need.” — James from Labor
One of the cool things about having the privilege of knowing how to ride one of these things, besides being able to find pot no matter where you are in the world, is that it keeps you exploring. It sends you out to uncover weird parts of familiar places, makes you creep into all sorts of alleys and ditches and post-industrial shit-piles, and on many occasions, you’ll leave feeling a lot happier than when you got there.
Every time I see Caddo, he’s having a pretty good time. Then, every time I see some Caddo footage or photos, he’s having a pretty sweet time. He skates all these spots I’ve never seen before, in cities I’ve never thought to go to. He’s gotten clips at like, the Holy Trinity of New York busts: the Roosevelt Island Monument, Forbidden Banks and the Holy Grail on Nostrand Avenue. Caddo goes out of his way to keep skateboarding interesting for himself, which is why his skating is so much fun to watch.
His part in Politic’s Division, which is his second full part in as many years, is loaded with all kinds of new approaches to familiar spots, fun lines down hills and in all kinds of parking lots. Here’s a chat I had with him about Enid’s, longevity, and kickflips.
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Tell me about when you kickflipped into the Roosevelt Island monument.
That was when it first opened up. I don’t know why, but the Parks Department would close it one day a week. You get maybe ten minutes before the old security guard comes out and starts yelling at you. But the guy is like sixty-years-old, it takes him a while to mosey over. The guy got there and his technique was to stand right in the way. He’s just mellow about it, kept repeating over and over again “no, no, no.” He was just saying that for ten minutes. [John] Valenti was walking backwards with the camera as I’m trying the last one and luckily I made it. I almost rolled into the guy.
